Naruto: Deep Forest Chronicles
by RinneTaicho
Summary: 68 years ago, Hashirama and Mito had a second child. That child grew to give birth to the man that would become the Yondaime Hokage, although his origins would remain unknown. Now, an ancient bloodline is stirring in the great-grandson of the man who founded Konoha. These are the chronicles of his journey to restore his clan, and live up to the names of those before him.
1. Chapter 1

**Naruto: Deep Forest Chronicles**

**AN/ Hey yo, RinneTaicho back again. So here's the first chapter of the revised Mokuton Chronicles, now titled Naruto: Deep Forest Chronicles.**

**So this first chapter is really just the first chapter of Mokuton Chronicles shortened and cleaned up.**

**As before, there are a few things to know before reading.**

**You will NOT see: **

· **A civilian council, the only council in Naruto, is the ****Konoha ****council, which comprises of ****_exactly_**** two people, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado, who are there in a strictly advisory capacity, with the Hokage having the final say. This is actually given on the Naruto Wiki.**

· **Naruto being attacked by mobs. The only attacks I've found any evidence of, were by kids. The worst thing that ever happened to him, was being ignored by everyone, or getting beat up by bullies.**

· **Over the top bashing. I will, admittedly, sometimes be a bit harsh to some characters, but well within normal bounds.**

· **Fem-Kyūbi, I am not too fond of this pairing, as it usually involves Naruto somehow becoming immortal.**

**One last thing, I've decided to switch to using English jutsu names(EX, Wind Style: Great Breakthrough). It's a pain in the ass coming up with Japanese names for jutsu that the wiki doesn't have Japanese names for, and It's hard to come up with them for original techniques without feeling like I'm butchering the language.**

**I think that pretty much covers it, so now, onto the summary, then to the disclaimer and such.**

Normal speech: "what"

Extremely loud group/single person shouting: "WHAT!"

Thoughts/Speech taken out of context:_ 'what'_

Letter/Book/Written text: '_What'_

Demon/Summon speech: **"what"**

Demon/Summon thoughts: **_'what'_**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, that honor belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Chapter One: Intervention, The Flow of History Is Disrupted!**

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The most powerful of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, one of the few whose leader was granted the title of 'kage'.

It was a pleasant day in the village, lightly sunny, with the occasional cloud, and a pleasant breeze keeping it cool out.

Konoha was a village of great beauty, surrounded on all sides by vast forests and crystal clear waters. Even within the confines of its enormous walls, there were training grounds with lush green forests, and blue lakes and streams, perfect for using water jutsu.

The village was arrayed in a semi-web pattern, spreading out from the Hokage Tower. Behind the Hokage Tower stood a large mountain, with four faces carved into its stone.

They were monuments to the four great men who had achieved the title of 'Hokage'. Each had special qualities that made them powerful shinobi. It is in the office of the Hokage where our story starts, with the Third Hokage, now much older than when his face was first etched into the mountainside.

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat hunched over his desk, gazing into a small crystal ball. The man seemed to be staring intently at whatever he saw in the orb.

The Third was a very old man by any standards, ninja, _or_ civilian. He had survived all three Shinobi World Wars, and earned the names of 'The Professor', and 'God of Shinobi'.

His face was wrinkled, with liver marks on his left cheek, and three deep lines radiating from the corner of his eyes. He had a white goatee, and matching hair under his strange four-pointed hat.

The Hokage let out a sad sigh as he watched the object his jutsu was focused on. This object was a small boy, who appeared to be about six years old.

The boys shaggy, light blond hair shadowed the fair skin of his face. But it didn't hide the tears rolling down his cheeks and over the three strange red marks on his cheeks. He had his knees tucked to his chest as his scrawny frame was wracked with sobs, the tears cascading onto his black shirt.

The sight made the old man's heart ache in sympathy and guilt. There was no sound to the orb, but Hiruzen could read his lips, as the boy spoke to himself.

_"Why won't anyone adopt me? Why do they all give me those cold looks? Why do I feel only sadness and hat when they look at me? I just want a family!" _The boy cried to himself.

"Why indeed Naruto . . .why can they not look past the shadow of the beast you contain, and see the small boy yearning for attention? Even the teachers at the the academy shun you, and help you less than the bare minimum. " Hiruzen muttered to himself.

Naruto Uzumaki, the third Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune, and secret son of the Fourth Hokage, and the the second Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, had just been passed over for adoption once more.

From the shadows, a masked man dressed in black clothes and a grey flak jacket shifted forward to look over the Hokage's shoulder at the orb.

The most distinctive feature of the individual was their gravity defying silver hair, and the wolf-shaped porcelain mask, with its blank black eye-holes staring at the orb. The mask marked him as a member of Konoha's Black Ops division, the Anbu.

"Tell me Kakashi, have I failed Minato, by allowing his son to live so sad and shunned?" Hiruzen asked the Anbu member.

Kakashi seemed to think over the question before he answered.

"It's not you that shuns him Lord Hokage. If anyone has failed Minato-sensei, it's the villagers. Still . . . ." Kakashi trailed off, as if not sure if he could continue.

Sarutobi turned his head slightly, looking at the masked man out of the corners of his eyes, letting loose a sigh.

"You can say it Kakashi. It's the reason I asked you to come and watch with me. I could still do more for Naruto. I simply wished for confirmation that this was the correct path." said Sarutobi.

The Anbu nodded in agreement, choosing to remain silent.

"I think, I shall try to introduce him to at least a few people who will accept him. To begin, I think I will take young Naruto to his mothers favorite restaurant for lunch. Good day Kakashi, I'll expect that report on your last mission by tomorrow." Hiruzen said, as he stood from his seat, and made for the door to the office.

"Of course, Lord Hokage." Kakashi called with a bow of his head, before vanishing in a plume of billowing white smoke.

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

As he walked down the streets of his Village, idly greeting and responding to the greetings of the villagers, Hiruzen couldn't help but wonder at how such seemingly kind people could be so cold to a young boy. Seeing the happy families going about their business, he knew Naruto deserved that, even if he would most likely never get it.

Idly, he noticed something strange. All the trees and other plant life he walked past seemed less vibrant and green than usual. It was strange, because just earlier the plants had looked as green as ever. Now, they looked like the leaves were drooping from a severe drought.

_'Strange, there was some rather heavy rain recently, I'd expect they'd have plenty of water. The only time I've seen such a change happen without a lack of water was . . . whenever . . .whenever Hashirama-sensei was unhappy. _His eyes widened in surprise. _But how? Neko doesn't have the Mokuton strong enough to cause this, so how is it possible?'_

The old man spent the entire trip to the orphanage unsuccessfully wracking his brain for an answer to this conundrum.

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

Walking into the yard in front of the orphanage, Sarutobi looked upon the yard in front of the building in sadness. There were far too many children here for his tastes. It was a reminder of the effect of the Kyūbi Attack.

He also noticed that the plants in the area looked . . . wilted, and less healthy than they should this time of year, just like the rest of Konoha, only slightly worse, as they were actually _wilting_, almost dead on their branches.

Pushing these thoughts aside, he walked the short distance into the building. The sounds of children playing all around greeted him as he walked through the door, and for a moment he almost forgot how much sadness there was in this place.

He shook his head, and made his way to the matrons office. Hiruzen knocked sharply on the sliding wood door.

"Come in." A woman's voice called from within, cracked with age.

He slid it open and smiled at the woman sitting behind a simple wooden desk. She was around the same age as him, with her grey hair pulled up into a bun, and wearing a simple black kimono.

"Oh, Hiruzen, how good to see you. What brings you to the orphanage?" She asked kindly and with a sense of familiarity.

Unlike others she had no problem addressing him informally. She had run the orphanage since almost the same time as he became Hokage, and they had known each other for nearly as long

"It's good to see you too Mahana. I'm here to see Naruto, I think I'll take him out to lunch. It's high time someone took an interest in the boy." Hiruzen replied.

The elderly matron smiled warmly at him.

"Yes, it certainly is. He's a smart one that boy, and kind too. He's remarkably like his father was at that age." She said.

Hiruzen's heart stopped for a moment, as he took a sharp intake of breath. A mischievous gleam entered Mahana's eyes at this reaction.

"Oh come now, I raised that boy since he was less than a month old, did you really think I wouldn't recognize his son when they look so similar? Even if Naruto is much sadder than Minato was, they are far too similar for it to be coincidence." Mahana told him.

Hiruzen let out a sheepish chuckle at the response. He really should have expected her to notice that Naruto was Minato's son.

"Well, I'd best go get Naruto." He said, eager to avoid further discussion on the subject. It wasn't wise to talk about things like this without privacy seals up.

He received an amused wave as he walked out the door, and shook his head at her antics. The Hokage was certain she had been waiting to reveal that for some time now.

Hiruzen passed through the halls, and eventually reached Naruto's room. Without pause, he moved to knock on the door. Before he could, however, a voice called out from inside the room, the words broken up by sobs.

"G-go away please I want to be alo-ne right now."

_'How did he know I was there?'_

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

Naruto lifted his head up off his arms, staring at the door as he sensed a presence on the other side of the door. He could always feel when somebody was close, and sort of tell what they were feeling. It was how he knew that there was always someone following him out of sight.

"G-go away please I want to be alo-ne right now." Naruto called, voice wavering slightly from his sobs. He was surprised when the voice that answered wasn't the matron, as he expected, but a cheerful male voice that he recognized almost immediately.

"But if I were to do that, I wouldn't be able to take you to lunch Naruto!" The man said. In an instant Naruto had leapt from his bed, skidding across the floor and yanking the door open.

Standing there was one of the two people that ever showed any interest or kindness to him, the old Hokage, or 'Gramps' as he knew him.

"Gramps, what're you doing here?" He asked in excitement, with a large smile. It was rare for him to get to see the Hokage.

"As I said, I want to take you out for lunch. I'd also like to speak to you about a few things." Hiruzen answered.

Without hesitation Naruto nodded enthusiastically, walking out and closing his door.

"Alright, let's go!" Naruto cheered, taking the hand Sarutobi was holding out to him.

Once more Naruto heard his 'gramps' chuckle as the left the building. For some reason, the old man paused as they exited, his eyes darting to the bushes nearby and staring at them in an almost disturbed manner.

Naruto was confused. What was so interesting about a bush? Gramps was acting weird, no doubt about it.

"Uh, Gramps, is something wrong?" He asked. It seemed to snap him out of his momentary trance.

"Oh no, nothing at all Naruto, I was simply thinking of where we should eat. Tell me, have you ever had ramen?" Sarutobi asked. Naruto wasn't completely convinced by his reply, he could tell that he was still thinking about whatever had caught his attention.

Still, the small boy shrugged it on and walked happily beside the elderly village leader.

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

Sarutobi found it hard to pay attention to what was going on around him. He was still shocked from his recent discovery. As soon he had exited the orphanage and seen the plants had become lush and green once more, he had known what it meant. Someone indeed possessed the Wood Style kekkei genkai. And not just any someone, but Naruto. Somehow the lively blond possessed the bloodline limit of the First Hokage.

It was enough of a shock to nearly make him forget where he was—nearly, that is, if it wasn't for the obvious and refreshing happiness that Naruto was showing.

"So Naruto, how do you like ramen?" asked Hiruzen.

The two were sitting in a rather simple looking ramen stand, owned by an friendly father and daughter, who hadn't batted an eye at serving Naruto, much to both customers joy.

Currently, Naruto was slurping happily on a miso pork ramen, while Sarutobi ate his tonkotsu chicken ramen at a more sedate pace.

With an almighty slurp, Naruto finished the bowl in front of him, before answering the question.

"It's awesome, thanks for bringing me Gramps! I can't believe I haven't been here before, it's right on the way to the orphanage from the academy." Naruto replied.

Sarutobi's expression sobered at that. In light of his new discovery, Naruto's experience at the academy was troubling. _'I had better speak to him about it. If his teachers haven't changed in how they teach him, then I might need to take drastic measures.'_

"Ah, the academy, how are you doing? Last I had heard, your were having trouble." He asked.

Naruto's happy smile seemed to melt away into a sad frown. It was almost like all the joy he had gained in the previous hour had been leeched out of him, and it filled the Hokage's heart with guilt and sadness. He didn't even have to hear Naruto's response to know that things were not going well.

The small boy's head dropped in depression.

"Things aren't going well. It's not that I don't try, I try really really hard." Naruto looked at Sarutobi imploringly, as if trying to convey exactly how hard he worked. "But no matter how hard I try, the teachers don't teach me anything. They won't answer my questions!" Naruto frowned.

Sarutobi frowned. Truth be told, he was tempted to fire some of the academy staff for their neglect of Naruto's education. He would seriously have to consider finding some newer teachers to take over.

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm sure that things will get easier." Naruto tried to smile, but it was weak, and slightly forced.

"I guess . . ." Naruto mumbled.

"However—" The Hokage looked to make sure Naruto was paying attention to him. "—perhaps I can arrange something. Tell me, do you truly wish to learn? If you were to have a teacher that would teach you, would you try as hard as you possibly could to learn what they were teaching?" He asked.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Of course I would! If I had a somebody to teach me, I'd study real hard!" Naruto said earnestly.

The elderly Hokage folded his hands in front of his face, hiding his small smile at the blonds eagerness.

"Well, if you're sure, then I'll look into getting you a private tutor." He smiled as Naruto mouth fell open in shock. "But—" Hiruzen looked at the blond jinchūriki sternly. "—you will have to study and train hard. If you're instructor ever feels like you are not giving your very best, then I will revoke this privilege."

He wanted to impress upon Naruto the importance of working hard, and to make sure he would take his training seriously.

"I will, I promise. Don't worry, I'll work my butt off and become so strong, I'll be Hokage in no time!" Naruto said excitedly.

"Good, then I'll begin looking for one as soon as I get back to my office."

While he was still a little weary of extending such a privilege, he knew it would be good for Naruto. The beaming smile he got from Naruto was all the assurance he needed to know that he had made a the right choice.

"Thanks Gramps. I promise you won't regret it!"

And with that, the two returned to their lunch and their enjoyable afternoon. It was a moment that, looking back years later, Naruto would realize chanced his entire life.

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

That evening found the Hokage back in his office. The last dying rays of sunlight bathed the room in a magnificent orange light, shadows slowly encroaching where the light retreated.

He had gotten back a few hours ago, having stopped to drop Naruto off at the orphanage once more after spending the entire afternoon—and most of the evening—with the blond. Within the seclusion of his office, he was considering the options for Naruto's tutor.

Strewn across the top of his desk were dossier's on all the people he considered candidates, and he was studying them all to find the best fit. It was hard to decide, as all of the candidates had qualities that could help Naruto, but he felt like he was closing in on a decision.

All was silent save for the occasional rustle of paper as he turned the page in one of the files.

_Knock knock_

"Hmm." Sarutobi looked up at the sound, his attention drawn away from the file he had been reading.

"Come in." He called with authority, The door slid open, and in stepped Kakashi, this time wearing a casual jōnin attire without the flak jacket. In the absence of his animal mask, Kakashi had his head-band pulled down over his right eye, and a face-mask covered the lower half of his face.

"Ah, Kakashi. Take a seat please." Kakashi shrugged lazily, and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the Hokage's desks. His eyes trailed over the folders.

Sarutobi regarded Kakashi with a blank stare, reaching into his robes to retrieve his pipe from an inner pocket and lighting it with a minor use of fire chakra. He took a slow drag from the pipe, breathing in deeply, and exhaling a cloud of acrid smoke.

"I assume you're wondering why I called you here?" Kakashi nodded. "Well, earlier we spoke of me finding a way to make Naruto's life a little happier."

Kakashi looked at him curiously.

"I've decided to take it a step further. I'm assigning him a private tutor."

The scare-crow looking man's one eye widened in surprise. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting the Hokage to go _that_ far.

"Um, are you sure about that, Lord Hokage? Not that I object or anything, it just seems rather odd. You've always said in the past that you would prefer him to learn at the same pace as his own age group. What brought this on?" Kakashi asked inquiringly.

"Yes, I am sure." He said seriously. "As for what brought this on; something's come up, something that requires Naruto begins to get real training as soon as possible."

Kakashi looked at him calculatingly, evaluating him. "Seems like it must be something pretty serious, for you to have changed your view so drastically. What is it?"

The Hokage nodded, silently acknowledging that Kakashi had guessed right. Now it was _his_ turn to look at _Kakashi_ in a calculating manner. He then began to tell Kakashi of everything he had noticed that day, and his conclusions regarding Naruto. It left Kakashi stunned. If the situation wasn't so serious, seeing the normally laidback jōnin shocked would have been rather amusing.

"Th-the Wood Style? Are you sure?" He stuttered in shock.

"Yes, I am." Hiruzen answered. Kakashi took a moment to collect himself, though he still seemed a little subdued to Hiruzen's eyes.

"How? Do you—do you think, _someone_, might have done some sort of experiment on him?" Kakashi asked.

The elderly man sighed wearily and shook his head. He had been wondering that himself, but knew it wasn't possible. They both knew who Kakashi meant, but he was certain that his wayward student hadn't managed to get his claws on Naruto.

"No, that's not possible. He would have had to of taken Naruto for too long of a period for it to go unnoticed." He assured Kakashi. "No. This is something different, something I've only seen once before. I'm not sure how, but Naruto possesses the Wood Style naturally."

Hiruzen could see that Kakashi was beginning to grasp the situation. Comprehension dawned in the copy-ninja's one black eye. "That means he has to be a Senju . . . and a male no less." Kakashi muttered. Sarutobi nodded grimly, and the two men shared a significant look.

Both men knew what that meant; they had seen what ninja villages would do to gain bloodlines, the Hyūga Incident of just three years prior was a stark reminder of what people would do for the coveted abilities. And the Wood Style was revered and coveted above nearly any other bloodline.

"You're right, he does need to be trained. Is that why you called me here? Do you wish for me to train him? I can start immediately if you w—" Hiruzen held up a hand to stop Kakashi with a slight frown. He knew how eager Kakashi was to be able to train his sensei's son, and it was hard for him to dash his hopes, but it needed to be done; at least for now.

"No, I'm afraid you misunderstand. You won't be training Naruto." Kakashi's one eye narrowed in confusion and anger.

"What do you mean I won't be training him? Why bring me here if not to tell me I'll be training him? You promised me that once—"

Hiruzen cut Kakashi off with a sharp glare

"—Once he became a genin, yes. And you will, _when he becomes a genin_." He said. Kakashi calmed down, though he still looked confused. Seeing that the one-eyed man wasn't about to have another outburst, Hiruzen decided to get to the point.

"Now, I brought you here, because I wanted your opinion on my choice of tutor until he graduates." He said, picking up the folder he had been reading when Kakashi entered, and handing it to the Anbu. Kakashi took it with a raised eyebrow. "I believe you are acquainted with her."

Kakashi nodded vacantly, his gaze fixed on the file. "Yes, I am. I have to admit it's a bit surprising you'd pick her." He answered. He seemed to be deep in thought. Hiruzen nodded in agreement.

"She's a bit young, don't you think? Don't get me wrong, she's skilled; but still a bit young. Not to mention she has her own . . . _baggage_. Do you really think she can handle the strain of having a student?" Kakashi asked in concern.

"I considered that as well. I've decided that if she accepts the assignment, she won't have to worry about other duties for Anbu, and return to the regular forces. Perhaps being forced to interact with people will be good with her." Hiruzen reasoned. "Besides, you have to admit, she's the best suited for teaching him the Wood Style."

Kakashi hummed in agreement, still processing the idea. Finally he closed the folder and looked directly at the Hokage.

"When you put it like that, I suppose you're right. As you said, they might be able to help each other." said Kakashi.

Hiruzen smiled at the Anbu captain, glad to have his support.

"Good then. I'll summon her in the morning to tell her about the new assignment. You're dismissed" Said Hiruzen. Kakashi gave the Hokage a wave, and left the room, leaving the old man to ponder his thoughts on the days occurrences.

He certainly hadn't expected them to take the turn they had when the day began, and he had resolved to do more to help Naruto. The elderly man glanced at the four photo's on the wall, paying especially close attention to the ones on either end. The first showed a man with tan skin, and long black hair. His kind eyes curved upwards at the corners as he smiled to the camera. The second was a very young man, with fair skin and spiky blond hair with striking blue eyes.

_'I wonder . . . could it be possible? We never did a blood test to make sure that the baby was hers . . . I should check to be certain' _Hiruzen sighed. If his theory was correct, then a simple blood test would confirm it. His thoughts then turned to the son of the blond haired man.

_'I hope you train hard Naruto. I have a feeling you will face a great deal of challenges in the years to come. Still, I've no doubt you will become a powerful shinobi, just as your father and forefathers did.'_

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

**Chapter End **

**AN/ Ok, so here's the first chapter of my revised fic, Naruto: Deep Forest Chronicles, the story formerly known as Naruto: Mokuton Chronicles. Sorry it's a couple days late, I was trying to get the second chapter done at the same time, but we're approaching exams so to things have been kind of hectic. Expect that in about a week or so.  
**

**So, be sure to review and comment. I'd especially like opinions on the pairings. I'm thinking that I'll probably make this a single pairing between Naruto and Fem-Yamato, but the harem idea is not off the table completely. It might be dangerously teetering on the edge, but it hasn't fallen off completely, so definitely review with your opinions on that matter.**

**Now, just so you know, I've decided that I'm not going to have Ranmaru's dōjutsu in this story, just a really strong sensing ability.**

**Now, in the next chapter, we'll be moving into cannon. Unlike last time, I'm not gonna show any of the training progress. I'm going to try out a new writing technique and slowly reveal the intricacies of this version of the Naruto world over the course of the story.**

**After that chapter is done, I'm gonna move to the next chapter of Naruto: Uchiha Chronicles.**

**Well, I think that's all for not folks.**

**RinneTaicho, signing off!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Naruto: Deep Forest Chronicles**

**AN/ Hey yo, RinneTaicho back again, here with the second chapter of the revised Naruto: Mokuton Chronicles, now titled Naruto: Deep Forest Chronicles.**

**So this chapter we get into cannon proper. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the new story.**

**Now, for announcements. So after this chapter, I'm going to be moving on to the next chapter of Naruto: Uchiha Chronicles, while working on the concept for my fic with Naruto being paired with Fem-Shikamaru. **

**Until then, I'll be taking a poll regarding this story's pairing, whether it should be a single pairing or a small harem as originally planned(This will be very small, three maximum). I'll probably keep taking these suggestions for a few chapters. **

**There will be a slight difference in this version to what I had planned in the original. In this, Sasuke will be Naruto's friend, and he won't be 'bashed'. **

**I'd like to give recognition to Hamp24, who allowed me to use the concept at the beginning of his fic to base this off of, however, I plan to have this branch off from that starting pretty quickly.**

**Anyways, not much else to say, so on with the chapter.**

Normal speech: "what"

Extremely loud group/single person shouting: "WHAT!"

Thoughts/Speech taken out of context:_ 'what'_

Letter/Book/Written text: '_What'_

Demon/Summon speech: **"what"**

Demon/Summon thoughts: **_'what'_**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, that honor belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Chapter 2: Stirring Tree Leaves, the Trapped Traitor!:**

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

The early morning trilling of birds filled the air as dawn broke over Konoha. Sunlight peaked out from behind the Hokage monument, allowing the warm tendrils of its rays to sweep across the village, and the few inhabitants that were already up and about at this early hour.

In a small apartment building on the north side of the village, one of those rays spilled through the window of Naruto's apartment. The ray hit him in the face. His face twitched, and he slowly began to crack open a single electric blue eye, clouded with sleep.

"Huh—wassat?" Naruto grumbled in sleepy confusion. Though he couldn't see much through his clouded vision, it was enough to realize that it was morning.

The shaggy-haired blond groaned in annoyance as he sat up and began to rub the sleep from his eyes. He felt niggling feeling of excitement, but in his sleepy haze he couldn't quite remember why. He was certain it had to do with something happening that day. It took a moment for his mind to sharpen, and his eyes to snap to the calendar on the wall.

"That's right, today's the day of the graduation exam!"

With an ear-to-ear grin Naruto threw the covers off himself and excitedly jumped out of bed. Finally, the day had come for him to become a full-fledged ninja! The tall blond boy began to get ready. As he moved, the hard corded muscles of his shirtless upper body rippled under his skin. Years of intense training from his 'sensei' had stripped his body of any baby fat, despite his young age.

Thirty minutes later, Naruto, now showered and fed, stood in front of his bedroom mirror, checking his appearance one last time. He was dressed in his usual attire, sturdy ninja clothes consisting of a dark red kimono-style top with black flame motifs on the bottom, and black shinobi pants with tape around his ankles. He checked to make sure all his equipment pouches were in place, taking extra care to make sure that his chokuto was secured tightly in his grey obi.

**_'Would you stop preening already! You'll be late at this rate; you're worse than a female!'_** Said a menacing voice from within his mind. It was unbelievably deep, and sounded ancient.

Naruto huffed in annoyance. _'Put a sock in it fuzz ball, I've got plenty of time!'_

**_'FUZZ BALL? You dare call the great Kyūbi a fuzz ball? I ought to eviscerate you!'_** Thundered the deep voice. Naruto grinned. It was easy too get his tenant to flip out.

_'Oh please, stop posturing Kyūbi, you know you can't get to me. Besides, aren't we friends?'_ Naruto asked Kyūbi cheekily. His response was a growl.

**_'Whatever human. I curse the day your decrepit leader told you about me. You've not stopped pestering me since.' _**Grumbled the ancient fox. Naruto could tell that the tailed beast wasn't actually angry, he just liked to pretend like he was.

_'Anyways, I suppose you're right. I better get going, otherwise Mr. Uke is going to get antsy.' _Naruto said, ignoring the snickering of the fox at the nickname for his best friend. After one final check to make sure his red kimono shirt was fastened tightly by his grey obi, Naruto left his apartment.

Out on the streets there were only a few people out and about. Most people awake at this hour were either ninja, or shop owners. Naruto ignored the cold stares he got from many on as he walked through the streets. He gave the occasional nod or greeting to the few people who would wave at him. Ever since he had stopped his pranking and taken the Senju name, some had begun to reconsider how they treated him, and it had gotten significantly better for him.

It wasn't a long walk to his first destination; an apartment building about five blocks from his own. He arrived just as someone walked out of the entryway, and Naruto grinned at who it was.

He was a fair-skinned boy with black hair that was spiky in the back, with his bangs framing his face. His eyes were a piercing onyx black, and he was dressed in the style of the Uchiha Clan; a dark blue shirt with the Uchiha crest emblazoned on the back, and black shinobi pants taped in a similar manner to Naruto's, with black sandals.

"I see you're awake, Sasuke." The black-haired boy glanced at Naruto and grunted dismissively.

"Oh, it's you." He said. Naruto eyebrow twitched at his friends apathetic attitude.

"Tch, as broody as ever I see." He replied.

"Whatever, you coming or what?" Asked Sasuke as he began to walk in the direction of the academy. The blond begrudgingly began to walk alongside the stoic Uchiha, a smirk spreading across his face.

"Jeez, you need to work on your people skills." Said Naruto. There was no real reproach in his voice, he was used to Sasuke being grumpy in the morning. For a few minutes they walked in companionable silence.

Naruto looked at the Uchiha scion out of the corner of his eyes. "So you ready for the exam today?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto and his eyes sparkled in a mischievous manner. "Of course _I _am. I'm worried about you though, after all, you _are_ the dead-last." Sasuke said with a smirk. Naruto's eyes bugged comically in outrage.

"Oi, not cool, you know that's just so we can be on the same team! I can wipe the floor with you!" Sasuke gave him a superior smirk, but otherwise ignored as Naruto began a rant about his 'awesome skills'. Around them people sweat dropped at the sight of the odd duo. Eventually Naruto calmed down and looked at Sasuke with a small smile.

"We're finally going to be ninja. It's the first step towards our dreams, you can't tell me you aren't the least bit excited." Said Naruto. Sasuke remained silent for a moment. Finally he caved.

"I guess you're right, I'm sort of looking forward to it." He admitted grudgingly. Naruto grinned and threw an arm around Sasuke's shoulder. He ignored the narrowed eyes and twitching eyebrow of his friend. "See, now was that so hard to admit?"

"Don't push it Naruto." Sasuke said with a growl. Naruto simply grinned teasingly at the Uchiha, paying his request no heed.

"Oh yeah, what're you gonna do, try and beat me up?" He asked with a cheeky smile. To his surprise, instead of Sasuke growing even more angry, he actually _chuckled_. Not only that, but his facial expression was now eerily calm.

"No, I won't try and beat you up." Sasuke said with a smirk. Naruto couldn't help but feel that it was sort of ominous. "No, I'll leave that to your sensei, after I tell her about that **Sexy Jutsu **you made."

Naruto immediately paled as the blood drained from his face at Sasuke's threat. He shuddered at the thought of his Sensei learning about his anti-pervert jutsu. Something told him she wouldn't be very understanding if he were to tell her about his invention. The young Senju looked at his friend fearfully. Surely his friend couldn't be _that_ sadistic? One look into his eyes told him all he needed to know.

"Hehehe, I was just joking." He said hastily as he removed his arm from Sasuke's shoulder and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Eager to get away from the subject, he began to speed up as he said, "Well, we better hurry, wouldn't wanna be late now."

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

Naruto and Sasuke were greeted by a familiar sight when they entered their classroom at the academy. The tiered classroom was crowded with other young shinobi, each either leaning on a wall or sitting on the benches behind the plain wooden desks. It was a rather simple room, built to be a small lecture room made almost entirely of a blonde wood, with a large blackboard for the instructors to write on taking up the wall at the front of the classroom. The students were all talking amongst themselves, all the voices blending together into a loud din.

Of course, that all stopped once people began to notice who had entered the class. The chatter died down and all eyes were turned on the two clan heirs, both of whom showed no indication of the attention they were drawing. They began to walk down the steps to a couple of seats near the window in about halfway up the steps.

The silence didn't last for long. Slowly muttering began to break out amongst the male students, who were wondering why the heirs of the Senju and Uchiha clan—who usually 'hated each other's guts'—arriving together without glaring at each other.

Naruto smirked inwardly at the dumbfounded faces of many of their classmates. _'Man, look at all their faces! They can't believe that we're getting along. It's like the biggest prank ever!'_

After the two took their seats—Sasuke sitting by the window and Naruto in the middle seat—the other genin hopefuls began to slowly go back to their conversations.

"Man, you guys just had to make a commotion and wake me up. You're so troublesome." Said a lazy voice. Naruto looked over to the to the table next to theirs to see Shikamaru Nara, one of their friends, staring at them with an annoyed expression. He had a spiky ponytail, and wore rather muted clothing; a short cut grey top with the Nara symbol on the sleeve, over a mesh shirt, with brown pants.

"Come on, it's not our fault all these other guys decided to make a big deal of it." Replied Naruto. Shikamaru sighed. He rested his chin on his arms.

"I guess you have a point." He conceded. "Besides, I guess the exams are going to start soon, so it doesn't really matter."

True to the lazy boys prediction, it was only five more minutes before the door at the front of the class slid open and their instructors walked in. The first was Iruka; a man with a deep tan, warm brown eyes and his hair up in a ponytail similar to Shikamaru. Naruto always liked Iruka; he was one of the few who treated him like he was any other student. Behind him was someone Naruto wasn't so fond of, a grey haired man named Mizuki. Mizuki's hair was cut to chin length, and he had a kind expression on his face. But Naruto knew better. He could always feel the negative emotions rolling off the man; especially towards himself. If Mizuki liked being a teacher, he would swear off ramen for a whole year.

The two instructors walked to the front of the classroom, where Iruka began to call attention to himself and quiet down the chatter.

"Alright everybody, take your seats and settle down, we'll be starting soon." Said Iruka, gaining the attention of the entire class. The students immediately sat down and began to quiet themselves. Iruka smiled at the assembled students.

"Very good." He said. "Now, as you know, today is the graduation exam. The exam itself is rather simple. You'll have a written exam of 200 questions, that will be worth forty percent of your grade. The questions will range from the shinobi code, to what you would do in certain tactical situations. Your grade will be based on the completeness of your knowledge, and the effectiveness of your proposed battle plans. Suffice it to say, it will cover the whole range of what you've learned here at the academy." Iruka explained. There was a bit of muttering from the class at that information. It seemed most hadn't been expecting something like this.

"What about the other sixty percent of our grade? What's that based on Iruka-sensei?" Asked Sakura Haruno, a girl with a somewhat large forehead, but rather pretty nonetheless. Her hair was long, and framed her pale face with its pink locks.

"I was just about to get to that Sakura." Iruka said with a teasing smile. Sakura flushed lightly. "The other sixty percent will be based on your ability to perform a randomly selected E-rank jutsu. That portion is judged on your technique and results. For this time, the jutsu we've selected is—"

Iruka paused and his eyes flickered to Naruto with a worried look. From that alone, Naruto could tell that the jutsu was one Iruka wasn't sure he could perform. _'Hmph, no need to guess which that might be.'_

"—the Clone Jutsu. You'll need to create two clones to pass."

Iruka let the class mutter amongst themselves for a bit after announcing the jutsu they'd need to perform. During this time, Naruto's face was a blank mask, his face not betraying any of his thoughts. While most would assume it was because he was worried; it was actually the opposite. _'Hehe, too easy. Good thing they don't expect us to use genjutsu, that could get tricky.'_

After a few minutes, Iruka called the class to order once more, and began to pass out the written exams. Once all of them were distributed, he stood once more at the front of class.

"You'll have four hours to complete the exam. Good luck." Said Iruka. With that, there was a great rustle of papers as all the students began to turn over their tests. When Naruto saw the first question, he couldn't help but smirk.

_Who was the First Hokage? Be sure to include his clan and unique Kekkei Genkai, and how it helped in the creation of the village of Konoha._

He had only one thought. _'Hehehe, too easy.'_

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

Seven hours later a grinning Naruto exited the the academy alongside three of his friends, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Chōji Akimichi. All of them were smiling with forehead protectors perched on their brows. Even the lazy Nara and serious Uchiha had the corners of their lips upturned slightly. It had been a long seven hours for the boys. Although the first test was only four hours, it had taken another two for them to get through the ninjutsu portion. Afer that had been a rather boring ceremony, one of those events that nobody really paid attention in, but was required nonetheless.

But it was worth it; they were finally ninja. Naruto couldn't be happier, and he knew all his friends felt the same way.

"Man, what a drag. Now my mom's gonna be expecting me to be going all kinds of missions. It'll definitely cut into my nap time. How troublesome."

Ok, so maybe one of them was a little less than enthusiastic.

"Ah give it a rest Shika, and just be happy for once!" Said Naruto as he clapped the boy on the shoulder. On Shikamaru's other side, Chōji hummed in agreement around his mouthful of chips. Chōji was a husky boy, typical for his clan, with swirls on his cheeks. The young Akimichi's cloths were baggy, an open green over shirt on top of a yellow top with his clan symbol, and baggy shorts. His wrists were taped up to prevent his fists from getting scraped.

Shikamaru sighed.

"I guess I can forget about my troublesome mother for one night." He said. Naruto snorted at his friends apathetic response. It would be funny to see what would happen if Shikamaru's mother heard him speaking so lazily.

"So who's up for barbeque at my families restaurant?" Asked Chōji.

"I'm up for that. Hope you're ready for an eating contest!" Said Naruto. He was a little put off by the fire that appeared in Chōji's eyes at the words 'eating contest'.

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders, saying, "Sure. It's always funny seeing you try and out eat Chōji. You'd think you'd learn your lesson."

Naruto felt irritated at the barb. The lazy tone it was delivered in didn't help; or the fact that Sasuke was smirking at him knowingly.

"I'm in too, can't let this idiot cause too much of a scene like the last time." He said.

Naruto's face heated up at the mention of his last contest with Chōji. He had eaten so much that he had to try and go throw up in the bathroom. Suffice it to say he didn't make it, and Chōza Akimichi had made him clean it up himself. Naruto saw that all of his friends were now smirking at him.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that funny." He protested.

The blond Senju pouted at his friends as they began to howl with laughter. _'It wasn't that funny . . .'_

**_'Oh yes it was.'_** Countered Kyūbi. That made Naruto pout even harder. Was everybody against him?

Eventually he got over his annoyance at his friends teasing, and began to join in on their conversations while they walked to the restaurant. Once there they were seated rather speedily, what with the son of the owners being in their party.

The air was soon filled with the delicious aroma of cooking beef; the meat sizzling merrily while the friends sat around and chatted. It started out about random things, Chōji's mother suggesting they go on a diet, Shikamaru complaining about his 'troublesome mother' making him clean his room. Soon enough they got to the subject of their graduation, and predicting what teams, how they would build them.

Chōji was certain that there was no way that Sasuke and Naruto would be on the same team. He tried to explain his point while staring at the cooking meat with a bit of drool. "There's just no way they'll put you together. Even if you've got the lowest scores Naruto; everyone knows that you're as good, or even better, than Sasuke!" Chōji argued. "Supposedly they build the teams to be balanced, so even with the grades, putting you on the same team wouldn't even _begin_ resemble a balanced squad."

Although he grinned when Chōji mentioned him being better than Sasuke—who's eyebrow twitched at the same time—he shook his head in exasperation at his friends point. He had argued this for years.

"I get where you're coming from, but you're wrong. First of all, they can't just ignore our grades and place us on different squads; it would set a dangerous precedent for the future. What if a they thought the same thing and put the one with the lowest score on a different team, and it turns out they're wrong? The team he's on might get killed. There's a reason they have that rule." Countered Naruto in a logical voice. Though he could be goofy, he was one of the most intelligent their age.

Chōji looked thoughtful. "Huh, I guess you have a point. I didn't think about that." He still didn't look completely convinced, so Naruto decided to drive the argument home.

"Besides—" He said. "—Gramps is the one that puts the teams together, and with the exams coming here this year, he's bound to want a really strong team on the roster." Naruto glanced significantly at them. Sasuke and Shikamaru seemed to get it.

"Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot about that. Troublesome. Looks like Naruto's right" Said Shikamaru.

"He'll definitely be wanting us on the same team then." Sasuke agreed. Chōji looked at his three friends in confusion.

"Exams? What're you guys talking about, Shika?" He asked.

Shikamaru sighed, muttering about troublesome blonds before he explained.

"He's talking about the Chūnin Exams. They're held biannually, and it happens in a different village amongst the Five Great Villages each year." Shikamaru explained. Chōji's eyes widened. "That's why Naruto's so certain he and Sasuke will be together; the Hokage will want to put on as strong a showing of talent as possible, so he needs at least one _really_ strong team."

"But we've had strong teams before, right?" Chōji asked.

"True, but not since the Kyūbi Attack, and especially not since the Uchiha Massacre. This is actually the first time we'll be hosting it since that." Said Naruto, ignoring Sasuke clenching his fist to his right. "He'll have to make a statement to prove that we're still strong. The best way is to have the heirs of Konoha's founding clans—two prodigies—on the same squad."

Chōji shook his head in stupefied amazement at his friends. "Man, I forget how smart you and Shika are. I can't believe you figured this out before we even graduated."

Naruto grinned at the praised. Though he wasn't vane, it was good to have his friends admire his skills. After that, their conversations turned to far lighter subjects, and Naruto began to get ready for their eating competition, Sasuke and Shikamaru making bets on who the winner would be.

The two new genin were just about to bite into the first slice of meat, however, almost all of the joy was sucked from the atmosphere when an Anbu member appeared before their table in a swirl of leaves. Like all Anbu, he wore black clothing and grey armor. Only Naruto wasn't unnerved by the blank stare of the inky black eye-holes in the man's bird mask.

_'Oh boy, this can't be good.'_

Naruto was proved right a moment later.

"Naruto Senju, the Hokage has requested a meeting with you. It's a rather urgent matter." He said.

Naruto sighed and flashed an apologetic smile smile at his friends. The three gave him understanding nods. He set some coins on the table to pay for his portion of the meal, and stuffed his the beef in his chopsticks into his mouth.

"Alright, let's get this over with." He said in annoyance as he stood next to the Anbu member. The Anbu nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder, performing a silent shunshin, and leaving only a swirl of leaves in their wake.

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

Naruto appeared in front of the Hokage's desk with a look of annoyance. His mission complete, the Anbu left as soon as they arrived.

In his typical brash manner, he didn't give the man a chance to greet him, barely sparring him a glance, saying, "Alright old man, what's so important and that you've got to interrupt my celebration di—" The brash Senju broke off when he finally noticed Sarutobi's serious expression.

"What's up? Did something happen?" He asked in confusion. His eyes narrowed when Sarutobi flinched with a guilty look flickering across his face. _'What's that about'_

The old shinobi sighed. "I'm afraid something _did_ happen." Said Hiruzen gravely.

"And you just happened to call _me_ first? I'm flattered." Naruto replied sarcastically. Obviously something had the elderly leader shaken, and he didn't particularly care for beating around the bush.

"Yes, I did. Because it involves your clan." Sarutobi answered. Naruto froze, his muscles locking up. His clan? Anything that involved his clan and caused the Hokage to call him had to be _really_ serious. "I see you realize how serious this is. Good, then I'll get straight to the point."

Sarutobi looked him in the eyes, and Naruto's heart rate unconsciously quickened. "Two hours ago the Forbidden Scroll of Seals created by the First Hokage was stolen. From the description, I believe it was your former instructor, Mizuki. He hasn't left the village—our barrier would've detected it— so we think he's hiding out somewhere within the walls." The elderly kage pinned Naruto down with his fierce gaze.

" I want you to use your sensing skills to track him down and reclaim the scroll. This will be your first mission as a ninja of Konoha, and it will be ranked S due to the importance of the scroll."

Naruto was struck speechless. The Forbidden Scroll was stolen? He felt numb from shock. That shock slowly morphed to rage. Luckily, he didn't have to try to sum up his thoughts. Kyūbi did that nicely for both of them. **_'Well fuck. The little grey haired bastard was worse than we thought.'_**

Naruto nodded grimly, both to the Hokage's orders, and to Kyūbi's words.

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

He dashed through the treetops with his anger slowly building. He was getting close; his prey was near. It had taken a while, but he had finally located the grey-haired traitor somewhere near an abandoned shack. Now he could finally rip him limb from limb and watch with glee as the stumps bled out. Surprisingly, he wasn't upset at the uncharacteristically bloodthirsty thoughts. They seemed appropriate, given the circumstances.

Naruto had never liked Mizuki, and now he knew why. From day one he had smelled like a traitor, and now he had committed one of the most serious acts of treachery, and knowing Mizuki, it was for power. Naruto hated people who would betray their comrades for something so fickle. _'Don't you go anywhere Mizuki. Not until I can get my hands on you.'_

**_'You need to calm down Naruto, you're beginning to draw on my chakra, that is why you feel such rage. You're not thinking straight. Think, doesn't something seem off? Do you really believe that that pathetic sack of meat could do this on his own?'_** Asked Kyūbi.

Naruto's brow furrowed and he stopped on a branch. The bangs of his shaggy hair shadowed his face as he growled in frustration and slammed a fist into the side of the tree trunk, the surface shattering under his bijū enhanced strength. He realized that his tenant was right. The vile hate-filled chakra was flooding his system, increasing his rage tenfold. With some effort, he reigned it in, the chakra receding back into the seal and allowing the adrenaline in his system to clear slightly.

_'Thanks Kyūbi. I did let my anger get to me.'_ He said gratefully._ 'But you're wrong about one thing . .'_

**_'Oh, and what's that?' _**Snarked Kyūbi.

_'I'm well aware of the fact that he can't have done this on his own. That's why I'm so pissed.'_ Naruto explained. He clenched his fist tightly once more. _'There are a few people that could help him orchestrate this. But a few things that never quite made sense are falling into place. I'm pretty sure I know who he's doing this for.'_

It didn't take long for the bijū to follow its jinchūriki's train of thought, saying, **_'Impossible . . . do you really think that it could be—'_**

_'That's exactly what I think.'_ Naruto said, interrupting the great beast. It growled, but not at Naruto. _'With the way his chakra is slightly twisted, and the extremely faint scent of snakes . . . I've little doubt he's working for _that man_.'_ He growled.

Kyūbi growled alongside him.

**_'Then we had best hurry.'_**

Naruto nodded in agreement, taking off in a burst of speed that left the surface of the branch he had been standing on splintered. His journey to the location of Mizuki didn't take long—it was only a minute away at top speed. He stopped on a branch overlooking the clearing. Just as his senses had predicted, Mizuki was there. He was sitting with his back up against a tree. There were two giant shuriken on his back, clearly meant for his main offense. However, it was the giant scroll in his hands that really got Naruto's attention, the one he was looking upon with a twisted smirk and a gleeful greed in his eyes. _'Enjoy it while you can Mizuki.'_

Naruto took careful stock of the clearing, grinning when he saw that there weren't any cliffs or large piles of rocks around. Perfect. He began to prepare his jutsu, his hands flashing into different seals at a blistering pace. It would take some time.

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

All was silent in the clearing, save for the occasional rustle as Mizuki looked at the jutsu in the scroll. It had been several minutes since his preparation began, and Naruto was almost finished.

As the last hand seal was performed, a slight tremor began to shake the clearing; the rumbling of earth being moved deep underground filling the air.

"**Wood Style: Tree Bind Flourishing Cage!**" He whispered his technique, the name seeming to resonate with an innate power that carried it across the clearing to his target.

Mizuki looked up fearfully when the ground began to shake. All around the clearing, wooden roots began to shoot out of the ground and wind themselves between the trees, forming an impenetrable cage.

The roots grew tall, and thick. They stretched themselves ever upwards, reaching for the very sky. Their twisting tendrils didn't stop at the treetops, instead continuing to grow and curl over the forest. Once it was over, the cage formed a nearly seamless net-like dome of roots above the clearing. The only gap was at the very tippy top of the cage, where a small opening allowed silver moonlight to pour through and illuminate the clearing.

The rogue chūnin stared around him in unbridled terror.

"Th-the Wood Style? What is this? Who's out there, show yourself!" He demanded.

Naruto grinned down at the startled chūnin from his hidden perch. The poor fool had no idea of just how trapped he was. He slowly stood, focusing his killing intent down on Mizuki as he answered him, "I'm right here, Mizuki. You're being placed under arrest for the theft of the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing, and will be interrogated by the Torture and Interrogation Unit."

He could see Mizuki straining to see him in the darkness created by the cage. When the traitorous ninja finally made out who was standing above him, he began to shake in rage, which seemed to combat the killing intent Naruto was directing onto him.

_'Hmm . . . impressive . . he managed to shake off my killing intent. It's not full blast, but still, perhaps he's not as hopeless as I thought._

"YOU!" Mizuki cried.

"Me!?" Naruto exclaimed mockingly, feigning shock. That only seemed to enrage Mizuki further.

"What the hell are you doing here, stupid demon fox? And how did you use the Wood Style?" Mizuki asked.

Naruto looked at Mizuki calculatingly. Clearly he was either very arrogant, or very stupid. Possibly both. _'Let's see how much I can push his buttons.'_

"Hmm, you seem to have me confused with my tenant. Do I look like a giant orange fuzz ball with nine tails?" He asked Mizuki, as if he were stupid. Naruto ignored Kyūbi growling within him.

To his credit, the chūnin's only reaction was to narrow his eyes in anger. "As for the Wood Style, that should be obvious. You see—" Naruto began. Mizuki looked at him in keen interest. "—I' m a Senju, duh. Kekkei Genkai, _bloodline limit_. You're not very bright, are you?"

The brash blond smirked as he saw Mizuki begin to almost foam at the mouth. _'Hehe, that weird one-eyed friend of Sensei's was right; this is fun.'_

"Of course I learned the actual _jutsu_ from a very attractive Anbu member." He continued cheekily. Naruto became serious real fast when he saw Mizuki reach for one of the giant shuriken on his back.

"Huh, guess play time is over. Oh well." He said. Naruto clasped his hands into the snake seal, forming it around the hilt of his sword.

Roots sprung up from underground, ensnaring Mizuki's arm and preventing him from throwing the gigantic black ninja star. When the chūnin made the mistake of turning his shocked eyes onto his arm, Naruto took advantage of it, disappearing in a burst of speed. He reappeared behind Mizuki a second later. The delusional man only had time for his eyes to widen to the size of saucers, before the hilt of Naruto's sword slammed into the base of his skull and sent him into blissful unawareness.

Naruto sighed as he looked at the crumpled form of the traitor. How did he ever think he would escape? _'Clearly such a weakling couldn't have been high up in that man's command structure . . so why give him such a mission?'_

"You can come out now." He called out.

There was movement on the edge of the clearing. A masked woman began to separate herself from the wood structure of the cage he had created. It was as if she had actually been part of the wood. Naruto unconsciously blushed at the woman. Her Anbu armor contoured tightly to her curvaceous and slender frame, the grey armor bulging outwards at her chest. The skin of her exposed shoulder was a pale creamy color, and her lustrous light walnut hair was bound into two small buns atop her head, with a small fringe of bangs left to fall and cover much of the forehead of her cat mask, and frame the right side of her face.

Although he could only see the round inky black eyeholes, Naruto knew that behind them a pair of slightly slanted almond-shaped brown eyes were looking at him with amusement.

"Uh-uh, hey, Sensei. Um, how long have you been here?" He asked in an uncharacteristically nervous manner.

The cat masked woman seemed amused by his reaction.

"Oh, just since the part about the attractive Anbu member." Replied the mysterious Anbu. Her voice was soft, passing over his ears like the gentle whisper of leaves in the wind.

It didn't help his burning face any. "Oh uh, yeah. I was just messing with him, to get him off balance." He said awkwardly

**_'How preciously clichéd, you've the hots for that teacher of yours.'_** Kyūbi said with a mocking snicker.

_'Shut up!'_ Naruto hissed as he felt his face heat up in embarrassment.

**_'Don't tell me to shut up, whelp!'_** And thus two began to bicker inside Naruto's mind.

If she noticed his distraction from the bickering with his with his tenant, the woman didn't say anything. She simply walked around him and took out a roll of ninja wire, using it to swiftly and efficiently bind the man so that there was no way of escaping. When she was done, the cat masked Anbu hefted the man over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"I'll take this traitor to Ibiki. I'm sure he'll be happy to have a new 'guest'" She said, using the word guest sarcastically. By this time Naruto had ended his arguing with Kyūbi, and looked at the woman with his blush under control.

"Sure thing, I'll take the scroll back to Gramps, I need to talk to him anyway." Naruto replied, picking up the large scroll and slinging it on his back as the Anbu prepared to leave. Before she left, the woman placed her gloved hand softly on Naruto's shoulder.

"Congratulations on graduating, I know how long you've been waiting for it. I know you'll make me and your clan proud." She said warmly.

Naruto smiled at her. "Thanks . . . Sensei."

The woman was gone the next second, nothing marking her departure save for a soft murmur of displaced air, and the rustle of a swirl of leaves.

Once she was gone, Naruto clasped his hands together into the snake seal, causing the root cage to begin to retract into the ground again. After a few minutes, the only evidence of their existence was a series of holes that lined the ground around the perimeter of the clearing.

Naruto stayed there for a few moments, as he thought about the events of that day. He thought especially hard about his suspicions about Mizuki.

**_'You didn't tell her about who you thought he was working for.'_** Kyūbi noted.

Naruto release a soft sigh. _'It won't do any good to tell her. She's made so much progress . . . I don't want to jeopardize that on a hunch.'_ Naruto answered.

Kyūbi gave him a mental nod of understanding.

Naruto took a last glance at the moon in the sky above before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves just as his sensei had done.

**— ₪ ****NDFC ₪ —**

**Chapter End**

**AN/ Pheww, that's that chapter done. So, we're beginning to see the beginning of the plot, and I've dropped a few hints at Fem-Yamato's back story. **

**Anyways, next time it will be team assignments and possibly a meeting with Konohamaru, and Naruto and Sasuke will meet Kakashi.**

**So, as I said before, next I'll be going to my next chapter in Uchiha Chronicles. I'm thinking maybe two weeks, possibly less.**

**Be sure to favorite/follow, and review and comment on what you thought about the chapter. What worked, what do you think I could improve on, that sort of stuff. As mentioned, I'll start taking a poll on the harem thing. It's just a tiny bit less off the edge of the table.**

**Well, that's all for now, it's late, so,**

**RinneTaicho, Signing Off!**


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